2nd militant shot dead in J&K’s Bandipore firefight

SRINAGAR: A second militant was killed in the fire fight raging in Jammu and Kashmir’s northern Bandipore district since Sunday morning.

The police officials here said that fighting broke out between a group of militants and security forces in Bandipore’s Ladoora village after a joint team of J&K police’s counter-insurgency Special Operations Group (SOG), the Army and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege to it to conduct searches. They said that the operation was launched on specific input about the presence of militants in the area. A statement issued by the police said, “As they (security forces) approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them which was retaliated, triggering an encounter”.

While one militant was killed on Sunday itself, his accomplice was gunned down on Monday morning. Officials said that though the firing stopped with the killing of the second militants, the searches in the area were still underway, when the reports last came in. They also said that the identity of the slain militants is being ascertained.

The Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps tweeted, “One more terrorist (total two) eliminated in #OpLadoora (#Bandipore). Weapons & warlike stores recovered. Operation in progress.”

Meanwhile, Northern Army commander, Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh on Monday met J&K’s Lt. governor, Girish Chandra Murmu in Jammu to brief him about the overall security situation.